The Sugar Lowdown

The Sugar Lowdown

For years, there has been much debate on the topic of fats within our diets. We were pressed to banish all fats from our diet in the fear of increasing our risk for conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more. However, as time progressed, and new evidence has emerged that fats are not the culprit for the majority of our metabolic woes. The scientific community may not be in total agreement over the placements of fats within our diet, but we are in consensus on one thing…The effect of sugar on our bodies has dire consequences for our overall health. 

In today’s food market many products have emerged that contain copious amounts of sugar, yet consumers are often unaware that these foods are so sugar dense. It would often surprise you that sugar can be found in a number of unsuspecting products that you incorporate into your diet on a daily basis. Additionally, we are often pressed for time when it comes to work and family responsibilities and we therefore do not always have the time, nor the patience, to whip up a nutritious meal from scratch. Enter, processed and calorie dense food! We will regularly run off to the grocery store to pick up readymade meals and snacks to help decrease our preparation time and lessen the burden on our busy schedules. However, this can lead to significant health issues in the future as these foods contain incredible amounts of sugar and this takes up a large portion of their daily calorie intake. It is more important than ever to become informed on the products that we eat everyday and to make healthier choices for ourselves and our families. The following article is going to highlight the dangers of sugar and the various effects that it may have on the different aspects of our health. We would like to inform you on healthier lifestyle practicesHealth and to change your nutrition for the better.

Let’s quickly talk about what sugar actually is. Sugar is a form of a simple carbohydrate. Normal table sugar refers to sucrose, a disaccharide, made up of two monosaccharides called glucose and fructose. When consumed your body readily breaks the sugar down into glucose molecules to be used as an energy source. There are a number of different simple sugars found in nature, namely, glucose, fructose, and galactose and they can come in a variety of different forms in common foods.

It is of course known that sugar is terribly bad for your health. There has been a direct link between sugar consumption and a number of serious health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. Many people have decided to assess their eating habits and have opted for more healthy food choices that are lower in sugar, but sometimes people underestimate just how much sugar is present in their supposedly healthier options. A lot of the time products are labelled as “low fat” or “fat free” and we immediately think that these products are nutritious and better for our health. In actual fact, these products often contain more sugar than their alternatives. For example, according to products found on a popular grocery store chain in South Africa, it is far better to consume full fat milk than fat free milk because 250ml of fresh fat free milk contains 11.5g of total sugar, whereas 250ml of fresh full cream milk only contains 8.8g of total sugar. This is the case for a number of products that are deemed healthier than their full fat alternative.

Other products to beware of that contain high levels of sugar are sauces. It is easy to forget that sauces pack quite a punch in the sugar department as we simply add a small amount to our meals and do not actually consider them as part of the meal, but rather just a ‘zero calorie’ topping. However, 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of BBQ sauce can contain as much as 9 grams of sugar. It has been noted that at last 33% of common BBQ sauces are purely sugar. The story is much the same for another popular condiment, tomato sauce. One tablespoon of tomato sauce can contain as much as one teaspoon of sugar. Therefore, it’s very important to read the nutritional labels at the back of products before deciding to purchase, as you could be consuming an unbeknownst amount of sugar.

Granola is another product that is marketed as a low fat, nutritious alternative to breakfast cereals. You may even consider it a great snack when feeling peckish. Granola is combined with honey and sometimes other sweeteners, fruit and nuts that can increase the sugar content tremendously. It was found that 100 grams of granola can contain as much as 5-7 teaspoons of sugar and has 400-500 calories. Therefore, if you are partial to oats then it is better to negate any granola and to not add any sugary substances to your bowl. 

Recent studies have shown that there is a link between sugar and gut health. Diets high in sugar are thought to increase chronic inflammation and can have a negative effect on your gut’s healthy bacteria. It appears that by consuming a diet high in sugars and processed carbohydrates an alteration in your gut’s microbiome can occur, which can cause a number of gastrointestinal disorders.

A study conducted in 2020 sought to understand how simple sugars in the diet disrupt gut bacteria in mice. In the study mice were fed a diet high in simple sugars. Those on the sugar diet suffered from colon inflammation, had terrible diarrhoea and lost 20% of their total body weight by the end of the study. It seems that sugar had a negative effect on the good bacteria in the gut and over time it was seriously altered. The good bacteria in our gut is very important for regulating our digestive system, as well as maintaining our metabolism. So, when the good bacteria in the mice was compromised it appeared that a certain bacterium in our gut, named Akkermansia muciniphila, fed off of the excess sugar and began degrading the protective layer of mucus that lines the inside of the mouse intestines. Thus, the mice became more susceptible to colon inflammation and opened the mice to a number of other conditions, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Although the study was conducted on mice they have been used for years as a suitable model for human-orientated research. They share a close relationship to humans as they belong to the same biological clade as us.

Studies have shown that after a meal your blood glucose levels increase. This is especially significant when you consume a meal high in carbohydrates as your body begins breaking down these starches into sugar which can be readily absorbed by your cells. At this point, the pancreas works very hard to deal with the sudden increase of sugar within the bloodstream by releasing insulin to force glucose into the cells. It is important to understand that should we continually eat copious amounts of sugar and carbohydrates within our meals we are opening ourselves up to a number of health conditions, one prominent condition is type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes develops over a number of years and it essentially happens when our bodies stop responding to insulin. To make up for the inability to respond to the current levels of  insulin, your pancreas makes even more insulin! Over time, your blood sugar levels will go up because of this. This is a condition known as insulin resistance and it causes blood sugar and insulin levels to stay high long after eating. Prior studies have even shown that increased insulin can also increase your hunger, as well as increase your desire for sweet tasting foods. This is quite counterproductive as this will eventually cause you to overeat, as you never truly feel satiated, and may lead to obesity. 

Furthermore, constantly high insulin levels can lead to an inflammatory state within the body. This is unfortunately a vicious cycle because if there is more inflammation then it causes further insulin resistance, and so the wheel turns. Other studies found that those suffering from Type 2 diabetes had terribly high levels of inflammatory chemicals and had heightened immune responses. They deduced that immune cells were capable of producing inflammatory compounds, called cytokines, that cause the activation of a number of other proteins that are able to suppress insulin-signaling pathways. Thus, making the body less responsive to insulin and bringing us closer to insulin resistance. There is certainly a connection between consuming foods high in sugar and the development of an inflammatory state within the body.

Scientists have known for years that sugar is detrimental to our health and that it can negatively impact our overall metabolism and insulin responses. It has only recently come to light that sugar also influences the inflammatory state of the body which can lead to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). It appears that since sugar in our diets has been on the rise the prevalence of diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have increased too. It was estimated that there are as many as 3.5 million people living with the aforementioned diseases. These can be highly disruptive diseases and can dramatically impact the daily lives of those afflicted.

Not only is sugar incredibly detrimental to your gut, but can cause serious damage to your teeth too. Your mouth contains both good bacteria and bad bacteria. The good bacteria, otherwise called the oral microbiome, in your mouth helps to protect your teeth from decay and keeps the bad bacteria in check. When you consume sugary products the bad bacteria essentially feeds off of the sugar and produces acid by-products. These by-products then attack your tooth enamel and can cause damage to your teeth. This can lead to issues like cavities, or more serious conditions like gingivitis. Therefore, it is not necessarily the sugar that causes the damage, but rather the acid produced by the plaque bacteria, but sugar certainly exacerbates the problem. It is important to limit the consumption of sugary foods like store-bought, ready-made smoothies, sugar free yogurt, trail mix and salad dressings. All of these foods are thought to be healthy foods, but instead of treasure troves of sugar that can negatively affect your oral health. Remember that sugar comes in many different forms, but at the end of the day sugar is sugar and it has the same effect on your teeth and overall health no matter what form it is in. Watch out for products that contain ingredients such as corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, fructose and evaporated cane juice. These are just some of the forms sugar can come in in various products.

It may sound easy to just quit sugar. Maybe you should just skip that dessert, right? However, it has become way harder to simply remove sugar from our diets as most products are packed with the stuff and we know that sugar has immense addictive effects. Most processed foods that we buy contain sugar, think back to those chicken nuggets or the ready-made pasta sauce you bought. It is more important than ever to say no to sugar in our diets and to actively cut it out of our lifestyles.

Simple ways that you can remove sugar from your diet:

•         Cook a family meal at home
•         Skip the fizzle cooldrinks
•         Avoid purchasing ready-made pasta sauces, salad dressings and cereals
•         Try to opt from foods that are as close to their natural state
•         Eat green leafy vegetables and unprocessed meat

The festive season is of course quite challenging in terms of rectifying or altering your diet, but it is important to be mindful going into the festive season this year as many lovely goodies are produced by grocery stores to entice you to buy their themed products. Unfortunately, a lot of these goodies are processed and packed with sugar to taste good, as well as to retain shelf life. If you are planning a family lunch during this time rather make a great meal from scratch and decide upon healthier low sugar and low carb options. Skip the sugary cranberry sauce you would purchase from your local grocery store and test your culinary skills by making a creamy gravy instead. All of these little choices you make today can assist you in the long run when it comes to your health.

The bottom line is that sugar can be very disruptive to multiple areas of our body, from our teeth to our gut. Unfortunately, this article only mentions a small number of issues that sugar exacerbates. We need to be aware and cognisant of the change in western diets and the increase of sugar within products. Keep in mind that the best way to avoid sugar is to make your own meals, evade buying sugary goods to keep in your home and make sure you read the nutritional label before buying your products. With the amount of sugar-related research on the rise we are only now beginning to realise just how detrimental sugar actually is to our health, and as time goes on, we are surely to see an abundance of new information on the topic arise.  

References

Breus, Michael J. “The Connection Between Sugar and Your Gut.” Psychology Today, Psychology Today, 5 December 2019, https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/sleep-newzzz/201912/the-connection-between-sugar-and-your-gut. Accessed 14 December 2020.

“The Dangers of Sugar for Your Teeth.” Dental Choice, Dental Choice, https://www.dentalchoice.ca/dangers-sugar-teeth/. Accessed 12 December 2020.

“THE EFFECT OF SUGAR ON DIGESTION & IBS.” Judge Nutrition, Judge Nutrition, 4 February 2020, https://www.judgenutrition.com/blog/sugar. Accessed 14 December 2020.

Khan, Shahanshah, et al. “Dietary simple sugars alter microbial ecology in the gut and promote colitis in mice.” Science Translational Medicine, vol. 12, no. 567, 2020. American Association for the Advancement of Science, https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/567/eaay6218. Accessed 15 December 2020.

Kubala, Jillian. “11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad for You.” Heathline, Healthline, 3 June 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar. Accessed 13 December 2020.

Pattillo, Ali. “MICROBIOME STUDY EXPLAINS HOW SUGAR HIJACKS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF HEALTH.” Inverse, Sugar Rush, 28 October 2020, https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/how-does-sugar-influence-the-microbiome. Accessed 14 December 2020.

West, Helen. “18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar.” Healthline, Healthline, 26 June 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-surprising-foods-high-in-sugar. Accessed 14 December 2020.

Breus, Michael J. “The Connection Between Sugar and Your Gut.” Psychology Today, Psychology Today, 5 December 2019, https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/sleep-newzzz/201912/the-connection-between-sugar-and-your-gut. Accessed 14 December 2020.

“The Dangers of Sugar for Your Teeth.” Dental Choice, Dental Choice, https://www.dentalchoice.ca/dangers-sugar-teeth/. Accessed 12 December 2020.

“THE EFFECT OF SUGAR ON DIGESTION & IBS.” Judge Nutrition, Judge Nutrition, 4 February 2020, https://www.judgenutrition.com/blog/sugar. Accessed 14 December 2020.

Khan, Shahanshah, et al. “Dietary simple sugars alter microbial ecology in the gut and promote colitis in mice.” Science Translational Medicine, vol. 12, no. 567, 2020. American Association for the Advancement of Science, https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/567/eaay6218. Accessed 15 December 2020.

Kubala, Jillian. “11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad for You.” Heathline, Healthline, 3 June 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar. Accessed 13 December 2020.

Pattillo, Ali. “MICROBIOME STUDY EXPLAINS HOW SUGAR HIJACKS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF HEALTH.” Inverse, Sugar Rush, 28 October 2020, https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/how-does-sugar-influence-the-microbiome. Accessed 14 December 2020.

Wenner, Melinda. “Does Inflammation Trigger Insulin Resistance and Diabetes?” Scientific American, Scientific American, 1 December 2009, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inflammatory-clues/. Accessed 14 December 2020.

West, Helen. “18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar.” Healthline, Healthline, 26 June 2020, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-surprising-foods-high-in-sugar. Accessed 14 December 2020.

 

About the author

Shannon Mace has a BSc degree in Human Life Sciences from Stellenbosch University, she majored in biochemistry and physiology. She has a keen interest in metabolic physiology and hopes to further her studies in the subject. Shannon has joined The Noakes Foundation as a researcher, as well as an administrator. She looks forward to helping the foundation promote healthier living and happier lifestyles.